Recently in Abuja, Nigeria, the Sudanese government and the main rebel group in Darfur signed a peace agreement to end three years of fighting. A ceasefire was supposed to come into force 72 hours later. But little has changed on the ground in Darfur.

For years, the accepted wisdom was that human rights principles and law applied only, or mainly, to the mediation of the relationship between citizens and the State. This view was held and promoted by, among others, academics, lawyers and jurists, as well as many international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and activists.

Anyone reporting an honour killing case to the police or filing a case with the court will be killed by the jirga since the publicising of such cases has brought a bad name to the area, Malik Faiz Muhammad, member of the Nihag-Wari jirga, said on Friday.

This report from the Special Rapporteur on violence against women notes that despite some significant developments, the situation of women remains dramatic and severe violence against them all-pervasive.

This update urges the government to continue its efforts to end the practice of FGM through education, enforcement of the law and disciplinary action against police officers and court officials who fail to implement the law appropriately.